Tom Cruise to be honored by Irish government in secret ceremony

Action hero Tom Cruise, famed for his horrific Irish accent in the 1992 movie “Far and Away.” is set to be presented with a scroll by the Irish government to honor his Irish roots. The Hollywood star, who traces his roots to County Roscommon, will be travelling to Ireland to promote his new movie “Oblivion.”

According to the Irish magazine RSVP, Irish government officials have been sworn to secrecy and have plans to make the a presentation to the star for the Gathering.

Cruise, whose full name is Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, can trace his roots to Kilteevan, a north of Knockcroghery village, in County Roscommon.

The actor will be attending the premiere of “Oblivion” in Dublin and will travel to Roscommon on April 3 for the secret government ceremony to celebrate his Irish roots.

The mayor of Roscommon, Tom Crosby told the magazine he’s looking forward to the event.

He said, “It always struck me that he had very much of an Irish look about him, and west of Ireland in particular. This is a great opportunity for Roscommon. We can even run a brief course on the accent and teach him the typical Roscommon word – ‘How’reya.”

Cruise, who was born in Syracuse, New York, can trace his Irish roots back to his great-grandfather on his mother’s side. It is thought that he emigrated to America from a 33-acre farm in Kilteevan.

As a child Cruise visited Kilteevan with his father Thomas Mapother III. It’s also rumored that Cruise made a secret visit to the parish while filming “Far and Away” on the Dingle Peninsula in Kerry.

There have also been local rumors that Cruise was interested in buying the land where his ancestors would have worked. It went on sale in 2012 for $384,566 but was sold to a local farmer.

While staying in Ireland Cruise will base himself at the stylish Merrion Hotel in preparation for the premiere at the Savoy Cinema, which is sure to be a mob scene. Cruise, who obviously inherited his gift of the gab on his Irish side, has been known to spend hours outside premieres chatting to fans and taking photos.